Methodist Church awards scholarship to 32 students

From David Allan Paintsil, Cape Coast

In a bid to motivate the youth who have great potentials but have difficulty in getting funds to pay their school fees at Senior High School (SHS) level, the Methodist Church-Ghana has offered sponsorship to 32 brilliant but needy students to enable them pursue their education.

The students who were selected from 15 Dioceses of the Methodist Church across the country included a basic school pupil, Dominic of The Pulpit fame.

Speaking at a special ceremony at Wesley Church Cathedral in Cape Coast on Sunday, Very Reverend Samuel Ofori Akyea, Director of Children’s Unit at the Methodist Headquarters in Accra, said the beneficiary students were from poor homes but they have great potentials in them and that if properly nurtured some of them might become prominent citizens in future, hence the provision of the sponsorship package.

According to Very Reverend Ofori Akyea, Dominic was included through a special request made by Methodist Bishops at the just ended Methodist Conference held in Tema, taking into consideration the preaching prowess of the teenager who emerged winner in the just ended ‘The Pulpit Competition’.

Very Reverend Ofori Akyea said the Church was sponsoring the 32 beneficiaries for the 2011/2012 academic year to the tune of GH¢ 37,000.00 adding that beneficiaries are between the ages of 14 and 21 years.

For students in the boarding house, he said, each would receive GH¢300.00 while each day student would get GH¢180.00 as their package.

Giving a brief background of the Methodist Church Education Scholarship Scheme, Very Reverend Ofori Akyea disclosed that the whole scheme started in January 2000 when then Presiding Methodist Bishop, David Asante Antwi bought the idea muted by Very Reverend William Davis who was then Director of Methodist Education Unit in 1999 at Koforidua Synod to assist brilliant but needy students within the church.

He went on to say that since the inception of the scheme 12 years ago, GH¢203,802.00 have been disbursed with 934 students benefiting from the scheme so far. He said some have completed university and other tertiary institutions who are working in banks, media houses and many other fields in the country.

He expressed gratitude to I.C. Korle Family of Calvary Methodist in Accra for contributing GH¢3,000.00 to the scheme and appealed to individuals and organisations to assist the scheme to meet it growing demand.

Dominic, who was the toast of the congregation, stirred them with his preaching talent while the congregation hailed the scholarship package offered to the students to pursue their academic careers.

The Cape Coast Diocesan Bishop, Very Reverend Bishop Nicolas Asane on behalf of the Presiding Bishop of Conference, Professor Emmanuel Asante asked God’s blessing for the students to guide them in their various  academic works to become successful and responsible citizens in future

 

 

 

 

 

 

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